66 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 
be inundated. In a short time, ifno more water was poured on, and 
the flower-pot was placed in the sunshine, the pellets were removed one 
by oneand the hole reopened. Thislarva wasextremely voracious, devour- 
ing every insect which passed over its hole, not even sparing larvee of its 
own species that were dropped intentionally within its reach. The pupa 
was formed at the bottom of the burrow. The perfect insect is said to 
be crepuscular, and devours other insects. It should therefore be pre- 
served, together with the other species of tiger-beetles, as they live en- 
tirely upon animal food, and do not touch vegetable diet at all. 
The rove-beetles, or Staph ylinide, are long, narrow, and depressed in 
form, having the abdomen much longer than the wing-covers, which are 
very ’short. These insects are very voracious, and feed on various ani- 
mal and vegetable substances. The young larva of a small dark-colored 
beetle, belonging to this family, Aleochara anthomyia, was discovered 
by Mr. Philip S. Sprague, of Boston, Massachusetts, to be parasitic on 
the larva of Antkomyia brassice, or cabbage-fy. Mr. Sprague states 
that a number of cases of the Anthomyia were examined with a micro- 
scope, which were found to contain this parasite, but he could discover 
- Fig.2, no break or orifice through which the rove-beetles could have 
entered, thus proving, as faras he could judge, that the cabbage- 
fly larva was entered by the parasite before its skin had hard- 
[ ened into the pupa case, by gnawing a hole through the side 
near the extremity. This insect is therefore beneficial, and 
should be protected as far as possible in cabbage gardens or 
fields. 
The larva of Trogosita dubia (Mels.) has been found injuring maize, and 
Fig. 3. in beech nuts. Its near relative, Trogosita mauritanica, 
(Oliv.,) is extremely injurious to stored grain. In France 
> gael it is termed the *‘Cadelle.”. When very numerous this 
if B insect can be destroyed only by kiln-drying, which will 
} not injure the grain materially for domestic purposes, 
although the process will certainly prevent germination. 
The larva of a very small brown beetle, Syl- pio 4 
vanus surinamensis, (Steph.,) has been found NS 
feeding in the grains of wheat, oats, maize, and 
rye, and it likewise injures the seeds of apples 
which have been preserved for planting. It 
was also taken in considerable numbers from 
holes catenin samples of dried leaf tobacco. 
Several samples of tobacco were almost entirely destroyed by 
another brownish insect, Sitodrepa panicea, (Thoms,) (Agri- 
cultural Report, 1854, plate 5,) which is almost omnivorous, feeding on 
maize, &e., ginger, thubarb, and even on red or cayenne pepper, and 
the Spanish ties, or cantharides of the druggists’ shops. The fact otf 
these insects eating tobacco is merely mentioned, as it is generally 
believed that no insect will touch tobacco when tried. Alum has been 
recommended to destroy this insect, but the only remedy we have found 
successful is to bake the infested tobacco in an oven heated very hot by 
Steam, 
A small, blackish-brown beetle, Platycerus quercus, (Sch.,) commonly 
know nasthe oak horn-bug, and found in the larval and imago states 
in rotten wood of oak, is said by the American Entomologist to 
destroy buds of the pear in spring. This fact has hitherto been 
nunoticed by entomologists. The perfect insect hybernates. 
The males have large, horny jaws, somewhat similar to but 
smaller than the stag-beetles, 
